Expanded CCTV network aids M25 traffic officers

Traffic officers are to begin patrolling the whole of the M25 as the Highways Agency has expanded its CCTV road monitoring network.

The extension is part of the National Roads Telecommunications Services project - a £490m scheme to link more than 14,000 traffic message boards, emergency telephones, CCTV cameras and traffic monitoring systems to the Highways Agency's network of traffic control centres.

The network extension, which is between junctions 14 (London Heathrow) and 17 (Rickmansworth), means that operators can take calls, pinpoint the caller's location and switch to CCTV, where they should be able to see the roadside victim anywhere on the circular motorway.

Superintendent Ian Chappell from the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "Traffic officers will assist in the movement of traffic, the management of motorway incidents and free our police officers up to concentrate on our priorities - dealing with criminals, investigating serious collisions and challenging bad driving behaviour."

The network is supported by two regional traffic control centres in Essex and Surrey that act as "eyes in the sky" for traffic officers.

Traffic officers are supposed to assist police in jobs, such as setting speed limits, assisting breakdowns and clearing debris after an accident.

Officers began their patrols in police-style vehicles between junctions 2 and 14 last August. This was extended to junctions 17 and 30 as the service moved to Essex in October and Hertfordshire in January.